My Nostalgia Button is Broken: My Break-Up Letter To Final Fantasy

It is with a heavy heart that I write this letter to you. Over the years, I have noticed some changes within you and I just can’t take it any longer. You haven’t been yourself for a long time and I’m beginning to wonder if I even know you anymore.

Remember all those great times we’ve had? All those long nights spent playing through all of the latest games you’ve given me? Those times we took on the Ruby and Emerald Weapons? Finding out Tidus and Auron were dead the whole time? How about being blasted decades into the past in The Four Heroes of Light? And Revenant Wings…oh, man, I remember Revenant Wings.

Nobody played some of those games. I played through all of those games! You know why? Because I loved you.

So how could you do this to me?

When I heard all those negative things about Final Fantasy XIII, I just had to see it for myself and I liked what I found. You knew I liked it. Sure you didn’t do yourself any favors in the first several hours, but I stuck with it and found the beauty beneath. You wanted me to find it and I found it! Gran Pulse was a beautiful place to explore! I wasn’t able to fully complete the Titan’s Trials, but I gave it my best. And who doesn’t love transformable weapons? You did a great job with those. I mean a sword that transforms into a gun? A pair of guns that transforms into one big gun? Oh, man! A lot of people gave up on you then but I stuck with you because that’s what friends do. We’re there for each other.

When Final Fantasy XIII-2 hit shelves I picked up the Special Edition to show my support. I loved the monster collecting and the Archylte Steppe was simply breathtaking. But what was with that ending? To be continued? Buy the DLC to see the real ending? What the fuck?!

How could you do this to me? To us?

As the days went on, I kept my distance. I wanted to be with you but you betrayed me. You’d make nice gestures like releasing Theatrhythm but then release it again on iOS with over $100 worth of DLC. How is anyone supposed to buy all of that? You mean to tell me that if I wanted the whole Theatrhythmexperience on iOS, I would need to pay almost three times the 3DS price? What’s wrong with you?

Then you swing back and make an original retro style episodic Final Fantasy game for iOS devices. You even give the first episode away for free! I thought you were making some progress.

Then I played All The Bravest.

What were you thinking?

At this point you just ask people for money without even trying to make a game. You’re blatantly preying on people’s nostalgia and it’s obvious. It’s sickening! Did you get the idea for All The Bravest while watching your Cait Sith swipe at your television or something?

This game costs $4 to purchase, which is already more expensive than half the apps on the store. Then you charge $35 if someone would want all the characters available. Such “famous” characters such as Chocobo from FFV and Imp from FFVI are among your roster. Hell, Fat Chocobo is more popular than Chocobo. Is he even in the game? On top of all that, you want to charge me another $12 to access areas from Final Fantasy VII, X, and XIII. What?

Please don’t take this the wrong way. I love you, however, you hold me down.

You’re not the same game I met all those years ago when I was a little boy who needed a friend. You told me you would get better and that you’d listen to me more. I now know that it was all just a lie. You’ve been lying to me for a very long time and I’m not going to take it anymore. My nostalgia button has broken and you’re the one to blame. I can’t trust anyone anymore and I hate feeling this way.

I’ll stop by this weekend to pick up my things. Just make sure you’re not home.

I hope you get better and find help. I do. Just do me a favor and lose my number. I think we should play other games. I don’t want to see you anymore.

Daniel Shatto was always a gamer. He grew up stomping Koopa Troopers with Mario in the Mushroom Kingdom, shooting down wild robots in Robot City with Megaman, and exploring the fields of Hyrule with Link. After several years of being way too busy, Daniel is currently on a quest to catch up on years of role playing games.

2 Responses

nicely put. summons pretty much up the dark gaming times we’re in. i also think square passed a point where they are already beyond belief concerning their greediness. the sad part is: let’s say 250’000 people screaming up in pain over their new course. fans since the beginning are getting pee’ed in their faces, but at the same time millions of people who don’t know better are paying the whole extra roster for a non-game. i can see squenix noticing the disgusted long-time-fans but at the same time they get excited about their newfound clients: nongamers. so they are shrugging off the disgusted longtime fans because.. do the math.

i guess breaking up with a beloved one, like you so brilliantly put it in your article, is ONE thing. but seeing your ex almost everyday with not the slightest sign of remorse or regret, no, being even funnier and content than ever, this is going to hurt for a long time. you bet squenix will continue to push out overpriced crap after overpriced crap. it’s not like you could go out of the way like you would do with a person you broke up with. websites, blogs, stores and general advertisements will keep on rubbing the happy existence of your ex-beloved-one in (y)our face. :/

Beautifully written. I love the humerous but heartfelt sincerity of it. Things went downhill when Squaresoft transitioned to Square Enix and has just gone horribly downhill since. My disenchantment began when I played FFX-2.